First, the bad news. The problems in recorded choral sound that plagued earlier instalments in Markus Stenz’s Mahler cycle with the Gürzenich Orchestra are no better here. Regardless of whatever sonic experience audiences generally encounter at the Cologne Philharmonie, the chorus on this recording is generally a monochromatic mess. No worse than nine-tenths of Mahler Eighth performances, to be sure, but not something that I’d willingly file in my permanent collection – particularly after Gustavao Dudamel’s recent DVD with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Simón Bolívar Symphony orchestras, where a chorus comprising practically half of Caracas was rendered with utmost clarity.

On the other hand, the orchestral sound itself not only maintains the crystalline acoustic of their previous Mahler outings for Oehms but Stenz outdoes himself in finding a level of musical depth rarely plumbed in this piece. So too is he blessed with a roster of singers who view the music as more than merely a series of dramatic effects. Combining operatic firepower with the interpretative acumen of recitalists, the cast uniformly focuses not so much on hitting the dramatic high points as floating the moments in between. Though the results are as mixed in precisely the same ways as the other instalments I’ve encountered in Stenz’s cycle, this performance conversely succeeds where most Mahler Eighths fall short. The broad dynamic contrasts that propel ‘Veni Creator Spiritus’ often sound like malfunctions in the audio equipment, while Mahler’s ‘Faust’ music – usually the piece’s more problematic section – here approaches utter poetry.